New faces bring depth to UF backcourt

The Gators bring in five new guards this season

November 10, 2010|By Anthony Chiang, Orlando Sentinel

GAINESVILLE — The UF women's basketball team has some new faces this season.

Half of its 12-player roster will play its first game in a Gators uniform Saturday against UCF. Florida features four freshmen — Jaterra Bonds, Kayla Lewis, Brittany Shine and Deaundra Young — and two junior college transfers — Deana Allen and Lanita Bartley — that were part of the nation's No. 21 recruiting class this year.

And coach Amanda Butler will welcome the six newcomers with open arms.

Five of the six additions play the guard position, a spot the Gators were thin at with just Jordan Jones as the lone backcourt player to return from last season's team.

"They will immediately be in the rotation, some of them, because we don't have a lot of returning guards," Butler said. "I don't necessarily think that's a negative thing at all. I think that one of the things that has been exciting for us as coaches is just how the newness feels. It has really just invigorated our team and is really just a shot in the arm."

Two of the fresh faces are already competing for the starting point guard role. Bonds and Bartley will share the position, but the starter has yet to be determined.

The transfer of guards Trumae Lucas, Tessah Holt and Christal Caldwell following last season's disappointing year opened up the door for Bonds and Bartley.

"I think those two are very, very capable," Butler said. "It's exciting when you have one great point guard on your team, but when you have two that are capable of doing it and complement each other as well as they do, it really gives you a lot of options."

The two will bring a different skill set than last season's stable of guards. Bonds and Bartley are effective when penetrating to the basket and creating plays off the dribble as opposed to last season's backcourt that liked to shoot the ball.

The change in personnel and skill set has been a breath of fresh air for a squad that finished with a 15-17 record last year.

"It's exciting," said Jones, who will play alongside the newcomers at shooting guard." "This brand of basketball is going to be different than what people have seen in the last couple of years for Florida. We're going to play up and down. We're going to put a lot of points on the board. We want people to hate playing against Florida."